I sometimes say to couples when I celebrate their wedding Mass that they bring
weaknesses and hurts with them to their married life and they are called to heal
each others’ wounds during their married life. They are to bring the love
of Jesus to each other and help each other to grow to become whom God has called
each of them to be. In the same way we may bring with us to seminary wounds,
weaknesses and hurts. And we too are called to allow the Lord to work in our
lives transforming us so that we become whom he has called us to be. In the Gospel today when Jesus had finished praying he
said, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43) Jesus says to each of us also, “Come out of
your tomb, come out your bondage. Do not live in the darkness, live in the
light. Do not live in fear, live in faith.” When Lazarus came out of the tomb,
Jesus then said, “Unbind him, let him go free.” Jesus also says to each of us,
“Be unbound and go free. Live with my life. ” (John 11:44)

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead physically in his
body. He had been dead for four days. Jesus had previously raised the daughter
of Jairus (Luke 8:41-42,49-56) and the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17)
and in the Old Testament Elijah and Elisha raised people from the dead (1 Kings
17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:17-37). But nowhere is there an instance of someone being
raised from the dead after four days. This is the crowning miracle of Jesus’
ministry. In fact in John’s Gospel it becomes the main reason leading to Jesus’
death. (John 11:45-53) If Jesus can restore a body that had been in the tomb for four days and
has begun to decompose he can certainly mend the brokenness and wounds of our
lives. Jesus said to Martha,

“I am the resurrection and the
life,
Whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live,
And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Jesus asks the same question of us also, “Do you believe
this? Do you believe that I am the resurrection and the life? Do you believe
that I can mend all the brokenness and wounds of your life? Do you believe that
I not only offer you resurrection in the future but also the fullness of life
now in the present?” Jesus proclaims that he is both the resurrection and the
life. He promises future resurrection but also invites us to share now in the
fullness of his life. The resurrection of Lazarus is not just a promise about
the future of each of us. It is also an invitation from Jesus to enter into the
fullness of his life in the present, right now, and that life will
continue in us after death.

“I am the resurrection and the
life,
Whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live,
And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Do you believe that Jesus calls you to enjoy the fullness
of his life now? Do you believe that Jesus is now calling you out of any tomb
you may be in? Do you believe that even now Jesus is saying to you, “Be unbound
and go free?” Let us today accept Jesus’ invitation, let us walk out of any
tomb we may be in and allow ourselves to be unbound and go free.

How do we achieve this freedom? How do we get out of our
tombs? Notice that Martha and Mary sent a message to Jesus. We too have to
send a message to Jesus and we do this by spending time with Jesus in prayer and
sharing with him our wounds, hurts and anxieties. One of the psalms says, “I
kept it secret and my frame was wasted.” (Ps 32:3) Let us keep no secrets from Jesus but
lay all bare before him. That is the only way to the mature relationship with
Jesus. The motto chosen by the Catholic Church for the
Jubilee 2000 was, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Heb
13:8) Since
yesterday is the same as today for Jesus, as we share our wounds and anxieties
with Jesus we ask him to walk back in time with us to that moment of wounding
and to heal it. Then Jesus calls us out of the tomb to new life.

Notice that
when Jesus received the message about Lazarus’ illness he stayed where he was
for two more days. We expect God to answer prayer in our time but
sometimes God’s time is different to ours. Also sometimes we may be tempted to
despair and say God cannot do anything for me. This is like Martha in the
Gospel who objected to the stone being removed. But Jesus replied, “Have I not
told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) Jesus is constantly
calling us to new life in him; to come forth from whatever is keeping us in
bondage. Sometimes a hurt we thought had been healed in prayer may surface again
months or years later. This is a grace from God, God is now inviting us to a
deeper healing of that situation.

Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb but Jesus himself did
not unbind him, others unbound Lazarus. When you meet Jesus in prayer he calls
you out of your tomb, and your spiritual director unbinds you. You must begin
the process of sending a message to Jesus like Martha and Mary by spending time
in prayer and inviting the Lord into every aspect of your life and then
answering his call to come out of the tomb. Your spiritual director will not be
able to unbind you if you do not firstly accept Jesus’ invitation to come out of
the tomb. Then, with the grace of Jesus, your spiritual director unbinds you and
sets you free. But your spiritual director can do nothing if you do not firstly
send the message to Jesus and answer his invitation.

What a wonderful invitation Jesus offers us. And in your
future ministry you will, please God, extend this invitation on behalf of Jesus
to all those to whom you minister. Let us today accept Jesus’ invitation, let
us walk out of any bondage in the tomb, be unbound and go free.

“I am the resurrection and the
life,
Whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live,
And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)